Always There
by ilikecheese56
Summary: Sakura thinks on the latest failure to bring Sasuke back, only to be confronted by a very concerned Naruto.  NaruSaku Oneshot.


This is my first true fanfiction I've written, so I'm a bit nervous to what your reactions will be. Oh well. THis is a NaruSaku story, because it's the only pairing I agree with.

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me. Ever.

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Sakura leaned on the railing of the bridge where Team Seven used to meet before...the incident. She stared at the water, a small leaf occasionally falling to the surface, creating small ripples in the otherwise still water. She thought back to three years ago, when he had left them behind, how broken she had been, Naruto's promise to bring him back, and how upset she had seen him when he had failed, and her own promise to Naruto that they would bring him back...together. 

Though she tried to remain strong for both herself and Naruto, and she tried to convince and reassure him that they'd bring Sasuke back, she still doubted it and her own ability sometimes.

Sasuke...

But, no matter what she did, no matter how much she trained, no matter how hard she tried to keep her emotions under control, she still felt weak and useless, and helpless to do anything about it.

The water's surface was broken once again, this time by the tears streaming down her face. The rose-haired girl let out a small sob as her emotions finally caught up with her.

She slumped down with her back to the railing as she thought about her latest failure.  
Team Kakashi had failed to bring Sasuke back to Konoha.

She had finally seen the raven-haired boy for the first time in nearly three years. She had been hoping for a happy reunion with an old teammate and friend. Instead, she was met by an impassive face, onyx eyes that held no emotion, a strong sense of hatred and bloodlust emanating from the Uchiha.

Sakura began to sob even harder when she remembered that the one she thought she loved tried to kill her best friend. She had watched it happen right in front of her, and she didn't, couldn't do anything to stop him. She felt utterly helpless, and she hated it.

'I was just a burden, again!,' she thought angrily, clenching her fist as tears continued to stream down her face.

"Sakura-chan?"

That voice... When did he get here...?

Quickly standing up and wiping her face, she did her best to compose herself so Naruto wouldn't worry about her. She didn't want to appear weak, not in front of Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto, what's up?," she greeted with a fake smile and a cheery voice.

"Why were you crying just now?," Naruto asked with genuine concern.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, some dust flew into my eye, that's all," she lied.

His eyes narrowed at her response.

"Sakura-chan, I hate it when you hide your feelings from me. Don't you trust me?," he asked with sadness evident in his voice.

Sakura turned her gaze to the wooden planks beneath her feet, feeling too guilty to look her blonde teammate in the eye.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto. I do trust you, but I didn't want you to see how weak I am, just sitting around and crying," she responded, still averting his gaze and figthing off the oncoming tears.

"Sakura, how could you say such a thing!?," he asked, apalled. He lifted her chin so she would look at him.

"I was just a burden during the last mission."

"What makes you say that?"

"When Sasuke-kun attacked you, I just stood there and did nothing! I'm so sorry, Naruto!," she exclaimed, the tears blurring her vision.

"Sakura-chan, it's alri-"

"No Naruto, it's not alright! I trained under the Hokage for the past two-and-a-half years, and what do I do!? I freeze up and almost get you killed!," she yelled angrily, the tears now falling freely.

She felt him brushing her tears away and placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked at Naruto questioningly, he had a solemn look on his face.

"Sakura-chan," he began, "stop beating yourself up. Everybody makes mistakes, just look at me," he said with a small smile. "The important thing is that you learn from them, not dwell on them," he told her. "And you are not weak. You're really powerful, you're an excellent medic, and you never give up, no matter what. Not only that, but you're kind, gentle, and really pretty," he added with a blush.

"D-Do you really mean that, Naruto?," she asked as she wiped her eyes, blushing twice as hard as Naruto.

"You know I'd never say it if I didn't mean it, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied sheepishly.

"Thank you, Naruto," Sakura said softly as she pulled him into her embrace. "You're the sweetest, most selfless person I know," she continued before softly kissing his cheek.

Naruto, in shock, brought his hand to his cheek before uttering a stupefied, "Th-Thanks," before returning her embrace. They stood like that for a minute before Naruto spoke up.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?"

"Hmm?," she responded, her head resting on his shoulder.

"If you ever need someone to share your secrets or regrets with, or you need someone to cry on or confide in, I'll be there for you. And even if I'm not right there next to you, just remember that I'll always be with you in mind and spirit, and that you're never alone," he said in a voice just above a whisper. Sakura shut her eyes in content and whispered, "Thank you, Naruto."

A few minutes had passed when Sakura pulled away enough to look in Naruto's eyes and asked, "Naruto, I don't know why you've always been so kind to me, because I certainly don't deserve it after the way I treated you for so long. I've really been foolish  
this whole time not to see you the way I should have. Heh, during the mission, Yamato-taichou was telling me that it's how strongly I feel about you that matters. I finally understand," she said softly, "Naruto Uzumaki, I love you. With all I have, mind, body and soul, I love you," she finished, tears brimming in her eyes once again.

Naruto said nothing for a while, just letting Sakura's confession sink in before replying, "Sakura-chan, I've always been kind to you because you're important to me, so I was always willing to forgive you. That being said, I love you too, Sakura Haruno. With all I have," Naruto confessed, eyes spilling tears of joy.

They stared deep within each other's eyes, seeing nothing but honest love in them. Time seemed to be taunting them as their faces drew closer and closer, lips finally clashing together in a fit of pure unbreakable happiness, the bond of true love sealing them together for eternity.

As they drew apart, Naruto spoke in his usual energetic manner, "Hey, Sakura-chan, next time we'll bring Sasuke back for sure! Believe it!"

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at his antics, she loved that attitude of his.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, wanna go on a date?," he asked excitedly.

She rolled her eyes in mock sarcasm and playfully said "I don't know..."

"Please, Sakura-chan?," he pleaded.

"Alright, but you're paying!"

"Yes! Of course, I was going to pay anyway! Thank you, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura leaned in and kissed him on the lips before whispering in his ear, "And we're not going to Ichiraku's," she finished with a smirk.

"Aww, how come?," the blonde whined as they headed back to the village.

End

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Well, there it is. Please leave a review telling me either how much you loved it, or how I should never write again so as not to disgrace the fanfiction community. Flames are welcome.  



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